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2014 Honda Ridgeline keeps on truckin' with new special edition model

Like many smaller trucks, the Honda Ridgeline has been left to stagnate on the market for far too many years. With production of the current model reportedly winding down later next year before production of the next-gen model picks up in 2016, Honda is sending the 2014 Ridgeline out with some style courtesy of a new Special Edition trim level.
The new Ridgeline SE essentially adds cues from the Ridgeline Sport to the luxurious RTL trim level. The means features like black-trimmed 18-inch alloys and matching interior trim arrives as a no-cost option. This new model carries the same starting price as the RTL at $37,505 (*not including $830 for destination), and all other trim level pricing is carried over unchanged from the 2013 model year. The new SE model won't be available until November, and it is not pictured in the image galleries (all of which seem to be identical to previous model years).
Speaking of carryover products, Honda has also released pricing for the unchanged 2014 Pilot and 2014 Acura TL, which will continue to be priced from $29,670 and $36,030, respectively (Acura's destination charge is $890). Scroll down for press releases on the 2014 Ridgeline, Pilot and TL.

Acura to unveil 2019 RDX production version in New York

Acura says it will unveil the all-new 2019 RDX crossover at the New York International Auto Show along with a new A-Spec sport variant. Acura unveiled the RDX Prototype in January in Detroit, saying it was a close representation of the production version, save for the more concept-y side mirrors and larger wheels. It released a teaser image Monday of the A-Spec front end featuring a special badge along the side fender. It's the first application of the sport appearance, which the company says "adds sport appearance detailing, inside and out," on an Acura SUV and is supposed to be part of all core Acura models in the future. View 12 Photos Due to go on sale midyear, the 2019 RDX was designed and developed in the U.S. for the first time. Its styling is courtesy of the brand's design studio in Los Angeles, while engineering was handled in Raymond, Ohio. It's set to be built at Acura's assembly plant in East Liberty, Ohio, while the 2.0-liter four-cylinder VTEC Turbo engine will be made in nearby Anna, Ohio. The third-generation of the crossover takes its cues from the Precision Concept and Precision Cockpit concept, both from 2016. It gets a new Acura-only platform that sheds weight and stiffens the body, and it adds more interior space, rear legroom and cargo space, a panoramic sliding moonroof. The reveal will be live-streamed starting at 12:15 p.m. ET March 28 on Acura's YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels. Related Video: Image Credit: Acura New York Auto Show Acura Crossover Luxury acura rdx 2018 new york auto show

Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.